nuggetnoun/ˈnʌɡət/

• 1

  A small, compact chunk or clump.

  • a gold nugget
  • Rough men brought pickle bottles full of nuggets. Mysterious dirty-looking calico bags were opened, disclosing small quantities of water-worn flaky gold, which had been washed out of the beds of rivers with a cradle.
• 2

  A chicken nugget.

  • By now, we hope you have said “no” to processed nuggets and fingers. Instead, how about taking some real chicken, tossing it with real eggs, a little tangy mustard, and a crunchy quinoa coating?
• 3

  A tidbit of something valuable.

  • a nugget of wisdom
  • a nugget of truth
• 4

  A small piece of tasty food, a tidbit.

• 5

  A type of boot polish.

• 6

  A bud from the Cannabis sativa plant, especially one that is potent.

• 7

  slangAn inexperienced, newly trained fighter pilot.

  • Jack stifled a smirk at the ensign's expressionless non-reaction. He'd been a nugget himself once, the new guy fresh from training.
• 8

  computingcomputing-theoryengineeringA partial description gleaned from data mining.

  • We have previously said that the heuristic algorithms produce good nuggets for most classes and most λ values […]

nuggetverb/ˈnʌɡət/

• 1

  To find nuggets (of something valuable)

  • The other day, you are told, a fellow nuggetted ten or twenty pounds weight, and, of course, you see no reason why half a hundred weight might not be lying snugly ensconced awaiting the revelations of your pick.
• 2

  slangTo smear a male's genitals or anus with boot polish or similar substance against his will.

  • Among the complaints to Dart, “blackballing” or “nuggetting” was the most common form of sexual abuse carried out by recruits, and referred to a boy being forcibly held down “while boot polish, toothpaste or another substance was forcibly smeared on his genitals or anal area, sometimes with a hard brush.”